December 21, 2007

jimtyrrell · Post by **jimtyrrell** » Fri Dec 21, 2007 8:20 am

What a night. On the way home I drove the car into a snowbank. It was one of those deals where I was able to dig out and get the thing back on the road (with the help of a couple passers-by). It took alittle over two hours. And then I had to turn around and go home the long way because my crappy all-weather tires couldn't handle the hill near our house. Once I finally got home I just went to bed, got up, and drove back to work.

When I went out to the car this morning I noticed that the USB key I use in my car stereo was just an exposed chip sticking out; I had apparently shattered the casing getting in and out of the passenger side. But, it was still working! So I duct taped it up, and it's back in service. Woo!

Question Of The Day: What food are you most looking forward to over the holidays? I have an answer to this one, but I shouldn't disclose it, as it's part of a gift. Heh. So put me down for the pretzels dipped in chocolate and sprinkles that the boys made last night. Yum.

boltoph · Post by **boltoph** » Fri Dec 21, 2007 10:25 am

Duct tape can solve 95% of everything. Sometimes.

For me, it's got to be pierogi. Not normally a Christmas food, but my girlfriend's mother is in town and she's making three different varieties of them, everything from scratch.

HeuristicsInc · Post by **HeuristicsInc** » Fri Dec 21, 2007 11:23 am

Jim, your car stereo takes a USB? I have often speculated that this would be useful. I guess the food I am looking forward to is Christmas cookies, but I'm not sure how many of them I can eat this year with the lactose thing.
-bill

Billy's Little Trip · Fri Dec 21, 2007 11:36 am

Tip Of The Day: Parchment paper is a bakers best friend. So versatile and it keeps your cookie sheets looking like new. It won't give off a nasty taste like non stick sprays, it's great for layering baked good for freezing so they won't stick together. It's perfect for rolling out dough so you don't have flour all over the place.

QOTD: I've been baking cookies and making other goodies that I freeze and I'll be bringing them out starting on Christmas Eve. We have a lot of family that will be here from Christmas through New Years and I go all out for Christmas. I love colorful treats, good food and lots of decorations.

This year for the first time, I made chocolates, and candies. Like "box of chocolates, you never know what you're gonna get", type chocolates. Except I know what I'm gonna get, because I didn't make any of those crappy ones that no one likes, lol.
I pretty much made creamy caramel and chocolate truffle candies. I did an experiment with cheese cake ones that are really good, but they have to stay refrigerated. I used gold leaf on some, and piped little designs on others. After about the first dozen, I really started getting the hang of it. I'm giving them as gifts to Family, friends and neighbors.

I also made my famous chunky fudge. Well, it's not really famous, I just use the sweetened condensed milk recipe right off the can, BUT, I make it with all kinds of flavors and stuff in it. I'll use whole dried cherry's, whole walnuts, marshmallows, whole nilla wafers, etc. Then when you cut it into squares, you see all the big pieces of stuff in the fudge. It is SOOO good.
I also do one with big chunks of brownies in my fudge. One with Oreo cookies. One with chunks of rice crispy treats and peanut butter. The possibilities are endless. I even made one once with chunks of fruit cake, yes, fruit cake. I finally found a use for the fruit cake. It looked really colorful cut up and it was really good.

jimtyrrell · Post by **jimtyrrell** » Fri Dec 21, 2007 11:40 am

HInc: Yeah! The stereo was about 80 bucks at Wal-Mart. It's very convenient, but it tends to stop playing mp3 files a second or so before they're actually over. And it freezes up on rare occasions. The stereo also plays CDs, and also has a line input and a smartmedia slot. It's the nicest way to hang out in the snowbank.

BLT: That chunky fudge sounds awesome.

Billy's Little Trip · Fri Dec 21, 2007 11:57 am

Jim, it's so easy to make, you should try it. Just go off the sweetened condensed milk can recipe, but add stuff that your kids and wife like. Keep the pieces that you add, big. I do a S'mores one with just marshmallows and graham crackers. So easy and really good. Just remember to make sure that the stuff that you add is at least 50% of each bite, so add lots of stuff.
Remember, line your baking dish with parchment paper before adding the fudge mixture. That way you can turn them out real easy and cut them up.

Hoblit · Post by **Hoblit** » Fri Dec 21, 2007 1:22 pm

FREE LUNCH. Our Bosses took us out for lunch today. Yay.

qotd: Frozen Pizza. It's in the freezer just waiting for the perfect moment. (I'm not doing anything for Christmas, in fact I picked up a couple of shifts at my other job while I'm off from my FT one.)

Niveous · Post by **Niveous** » Fri Dec 21, 2007 1:48 pm

QotD: The girls are cooking machines so there will be quite the spread this year. But like every year- the best part will be the Sausage Stuffing. That stuff eats like a meal.

Here's been my Xmas playlist so far:
"Santa Claus likes Rich Kids Better" by Young and Sexy
"Santa Claus is a Black Man" by AKIM
"Christmas Time is Here"
"Donde Esta Santa Claus?" by Lenlow
"Christmas Wrapping" by the Waitress
"Wonderful Christmastime" Paul McCartney vs. Rhythm Scholar
"Christmas in Hollis" by Run DMC
"Kung Fu Christmas" by National Lampoon
"Oi to the World" by No Doubt
"Oi to the World" by the Vandals
"Christmas Wrapping" by Save Ferris (the Hanukkah Version)
"Wizard in Winter" by Trans Siberian Orchaestra
"Boot Off (Rudolph)" by Bootsy Collins
"Yuletide Zeppelin" by mojochronic
"Listening to Otis Redding at Home at Christmas Time" by Okkervil River
"Merry Christmas" by Frontalittle Squad
"Last Christmas" by Jimmy Eat World
"Merry Christmas You Suckers" by Paddy Roberts
"Santa Claus is Weird" by Idaho
"Get Behind Me Santa" by Sufjan Stevens
"Millie Pulled A Pistol On Santa" by De La Soul
"Christmas In Prison" by Emmy the Great

Hoblit · Post by **Hoblit** » Fri Dec 21, 2007 2:12 pm

Niveous wrote:QotD: The girls are cooking machines so there will be quite the spread this year. But like every year- the best part will be the Sausage Stuffing. That stuff eats like a meal.

"Wonderful Christmastime" Paul McCartney vs. Rhythm Scholar

I love stuffing. All kinds and sausage stuffing is some of the best in the world. Sage is some good stuff.

I'm not familiar with Rhythm Scholar but I do love that song by Paul MC

Also, based on the type of Christmas songs in your playlist you are no doubt missing "Father Christmas" by the Kinks.

fluffy · Post by **fluffy** » Fri Dec 21, 2007 6:09 pm

Hoblit totally loves sausage stuffing.

I have nothing useful to add to this thread.

Billy's Little Trip · Post by **Billy's Little Trip** » Fri Dec 21, 2007 8:49 pm

Wow, this thread is becoming a real sausage fest.

Leaf · Post by **Leaf** » Fri Dec 21, 2007 8:56 pm

You might be the worst brat here.

roymond · Post by **roymond** » Fri Dec 21, 2007 8:57 pm

My imagination isn't strong enough to think about what gets ground up and put into most sausage. But back in the day before I gave up meat, my friend and his dad would shoot deer dead and then grind them up and make venison sausage. He would then occasionally bring said ground up shot dead deer sausage camping and we'd fry it up, in little round slices, over the camp fire till it's brown, and then dip it in his mom's home made shot dead raspberry jam. "YUMMY!" is vaguely how I remember it.

Caravan Ray · Post by **Caravan Ray** » Fri Dec 21, 2007 9:07 pm

WTF is sausage stuffing?!?

As far as I can tell - as sausage is a whole lot of fat and gristle and offal and sawdust and godknowswhatelse jammed into the intestine of a dead aminal and the ends twisted off. Are you stuffing something else in there too? Or are you stuffing the sausage into something?

I've got to know. I'm a huge sausage fan (though not necessarily a fan of huge sausages). Is there something else I can do with a sausage that I haven't tried yet?

Anyway - I have just found out Xmas dinner is a my place this year and I am cooking for 16.

I have to decided to go for the traditional Xmas dinner - ie. a Middle Eastern birthday feast as would have been served in the first century AD. Lots of lamb and cummin, hommus, olives, dates etc and home-made cinnamon, clove and honey ice-cream. Oh ...and enough beer to make a pig vomit.

Billy's Little Trip · Post by **Billy's Little Trip** » Fri Dec 21, 2007 9:40 pm

Leaf wrote:You might be the worst brat here.

Oh, don't be such a hot dog.

Märk · Post by **Märk** » Fri Dec 21, 2007 10:08 pm

What a bunch of weiners.

Leaf · Post by **Leaf** » Fri Dec 21, 2007 10:12 pm

PENIS.

Hoblit · Post by **Hoblit** » Fri Dec 21, 2007 10:15 pm

fluffy wrote:Hoblit totally loves sausage stuffing.

I have nothing useful to add to this thread.

Kudos to you sir. Kudos indeed.

röymond wrote:venison sausage.

IS awesome.

Caravan Ray wrote:WTF is sausage stuffing?!?

Or are you stuffing the sausage into something?

ha ha... no

I'm not sure what they call it in your parts...but 'stuffing' is basically a bread casserole. It gets its name because it's breading and spices that are usually jammed into some foul's emptied carcass before it is baked in an oven where the fats and juices drip into the breading during the roast.

Very delicious. It's like bread pudding but ... not.

Märk · Post by **Märk** » Fri Dec 21, 2007 10:30 pm

Hoblit wrote:usually jammed into some foul's emptied carcass

HAHA!
That's funny *and* gross-sounding at the same time!

PS: It's fowl.

fluffy · Post by **fluffy** » Fri Dec 21, 2007 10:38 pm

YOU'RE foul.

Billy's Little Trip · Fri Dec 21, 2007 10:41 pm

Once I got hit by a fowl ball.
....I didn't even see it cumming.

sausage boy · Post by **sausage boy** » Fri Dec 21, 2007 11:05 pm

Caravan Ray wrote:WTF is sausage stuffing?!?

I had four ripped young blonde men do that to me once.

My mouth hurt for days.